'Net Features : email newsletters

Get a Better Newsletter By Curating Content

Michael Garrity — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Coming up with good content for your email newsletters can be a real pain for busy business owners, and even some marketers, but it’s such an integral part of many online marketing campaigns that it certainly can’t be abandoned altogether.

Luckily, for those Web professionals with a stockpile of email addresses and no idea what to send to them, the content curation publishing platform Scoop.it has integrated with the email marketing platform MailChimp to make it significantly easier to devise and send out “highly relevant and engaging newsletter campaigns.”

So now, both Scoop.it and MailChimp users, alike, can take advantage of this new integrated solution, which allows them to utilize the curated content from Scoop.it’s topic Web pages to quickly create brand new email newsletters that they can send to customers, prospective customers or key influencer contacts in their MailChimp mailing lists.

This means that Scoop.it customers will be able to select email as a distribution channel for their curated content, while MailChimp users can find and choose new “value-adding existing content” to put in their newsletters; plus, they also have access to the search and social discovery features that are already built into the Scoop.it platform.

“We know that creating successful email campaigns is all about delivering quality content,” said MailChimp COO Neil Bainton. “But that can be difficult for many small businesses who are pressed for time, as it is. We are excited that Scoop.it’s integration with MailChimp offers our users an easy way to pull together interesting and valuable content for their email campaigns.”

And just to make sure that everyone can take advantage of this new workflow integration, it’s been included in the free version of Scoop.it and can be combined with the “forever free” MailChimp plan, thus creating a totally cost-free all-in-one content curation and email newsletter solution. It’s been included in Scoop.it’s premium plans, as well.

Campaigner Introduces Smart Email Builder

Linc Wonham — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:30:00 GMT

Email marketing firm Campaigner has launched a new tool for developing professional-looking email promotions and newsletters. Smart Email Builder aims to remove the need for a designer – or design experience – from the equation.

Businesses can choose from among the 700 professionally designed templates, themes and color schemes, and the newsletter is automatically built based on user preferences. Once the design is in place, Smart Email Builder will instantly format text on the computer screen as content is entered.

Once the format is chosen, Smart Email Builder offers fill-in-the blank templates, snap-to-fit image handling with slide resizing, simple insertion of easily trackable links, and drag-and-drop paragraphs and content boxes. If a business decides to change the look of the mailing, Smart Email Builder remembers the content entered and moves it to the new layout.

Visit Campaigner to learn more about using Smart Email Builder in your email marketing programs, or view a Smart Email Builder tutorial.

Email Marketing for Super Affiliates

Linc Wonham — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:15:00 GMT

Make no mistake about it – email marketing is alive and well. It’s thriving, in fact, and email newsletters continue to be one of the most effective tools available to Web marketers and online businesses in every category.

A recent Pew Research study found that more than half (56 percent) of Internet users subscribe to an email newsletter of some kind, and marketers, merchants, brands and bloggers are increasingly using the platform to get their messages across to consumers.

The challenges, of course, include creating content that recipients will want to consume on a regular basis, and building a list of subscribers that fosters the growth of your business and revenues. Those issues are addressed in the upcoming May issue of Website Magazine’s feature article, Email Superhero Strategies.

But for superhero-strength email solutions, look no further than the list below. In no particular order, here are 10 services that can help a small business or affiliate website leap tall buildings in a single bound – and all that other good stuff.

MailChimp
One of the most popular solutions for small businesses making the transition from traditional blogging to full-scale email marketing, MailChimp offers an impressive array of up-to-date but easy-to-implement features, including the latest in social and mobile marketing. Pricing ranges from the free solution that includes up to 2,000 subscribers per month to a $240 package that covers up to 50,000 subscribers.

Campaigner
Also recognized for its ease of use, Campaigner is an excellent startup service that offers multiple features to help users create, send and track their email newsletters. Campaigner’s suite of tools includes its own image-editing tool that allows customers to manipulate images without having to use additional software. Pricing starts at $10 per month with a 30-day free trial and goes to $55 per month for up to 10,000 email addresses.

Campaign Monitor
A pair of Australian Web designers launched the software behind Campaign Monitor in 2004, and today the company provides email services for hundreds of thousands of Web marketers and businesses worldwide. Still based near Sydney, the service has stuck to its roots and caters especially well to the design community, but it is absolutely a full-service email marketing provider with a full feature list and attractive pricing for small businesses. Packages start at $15 per month for up to 500 subscribers and go up to $500 per month for up to 50,000 subscribers.

Constant Contact
Easy editing tools, numerous social features and the latest mobile functionalities help define Constant Contact’s email marketing services, as well as nearly 500 newsletter templates to choose from to which marketers can add their own colors and logos. Pricing starts at $15 per month, which includes a 60-day free trial and up to 500 subscriber addresses, and goes to $150 per month and higher for 25,000-plus subscribers.

Posterous
Not an email service provider per se, Posterous is a hugely popular microblogging site that has recently added features which allow users to transfer their blog content into email newsletters. We consider the service and the new feature definitely worth mentioning for affiliate blogging and small businesses starting email newsletters, and Posterous has intimated that email services will continue to be a focus going forward.

More suggestions
Since we threw you a little bit of an off-speed pitch with the Posterous mention, below are five more options to consider for super-charging your email marketing efforts. Don't forget to read the feature article in the May issue of Website Magazine for your Email Superhero Strategies.

Emma
Aweber
Listrak
StrongMail
ExactTarget

Which WM Newsletter Is Right For You?

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:53:00 GMT

A recent subscriber of Website Magazine just asked an important question that I think others might be interested in - especially if they are just getting started down their path towards Web success.

Which Website Magazine Email Newsletter Is Right For Me?
That's not an easy question to answer - but here goes. All of them, of course! Actually, it really depends on what you’re interested in and what challenges you face in starting your Web business.

Need to generate supplemental Revenue? Choose "Affiliate Insider"
Want to discover methods to increase website traffic? Choose "Mastering SEO & SEM"
Wish you could understand what consumers want? Choose "Consumer Corner"

These are only three of the suite of Website Magazine email newsletters. Sign up for your choice of Website Magazine's email newsletters and get productive and informed every week!

Email Newsletters For Web Success

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:57:00 GMT

Website Magazine is pleased to announce the availability of a collection of weekly email newsletters. Produced by Web professionals for Web professionals, each newsletter focuses exclusively on the business of Web success. Just like the print publication, the newsletters are free but you must opt-in now to receive these valuable sources of insight and inspiration. If you interested in search engine optimization, search marketing, ecommerce, affiliate opportunities, design and development - lok no further than Website Magazine's Email Newsletters for Web Success.

Read more about and subscribe to the individual WM Email newsletters.
If you or someone you know is interested in contributing to these email newsletters (or the print publication) send an email to editors@websitemagazine.com - we look forward to hearing from you.